Hi
I am recording a very dynamic song using Sonar X3 Producer.
The music tracks are all complete and I'm ready to lay the vocals.
The dynamics of the vocals are very ...well...dynamic.  There are parts where I almost whisper.
Other parts where I sing mid-range and other parts where it's all out.
I am using a Roland QuadCapture interface to connect the mic to the computer and within the interface are 2 preamps and a compressor.
Would you suggest I set the levels for each section differently for each section and record each section separately...
or set the levels for the whole song and use the compressor for the more dynamic parts.
Thanx

Ideally you'd have someone ride the level as you work the mic.
 
What I do is I set up a vocal compressor for some color and then ride the level on the preamp before the compressor so that so that I can get both the sound character I want as well as a relatively consistent level. When I do this I don't tell the singer I am doing it, but I listen carefully for how they respond to what I am doing and how it effects how they work the mic. The idea is to help the singer make their best performance.
 
If you are doing it all your self you can try finding a good mid point but you may also want to make a few passes that are set up just for the quiet and the loud passages and "comp" the portions with the best tonality.
 
Have fun!
 
best regards,
mike
 
 
 
 

When I sing and record really dynamic stuff I always record on separate tracks for the "quiet" and the "loud".  This way you can independently set the compression and reverb and everything for the quite parts, then set them appropriately for the louder stuff etc.  Seems to work really well.  

I'm not a fan of using compression while tracking. Use it heavily and it'll often yield unexpected results. Use it lightly and, well, why bother? I much prefer to just record in a quiet room and stay out of the red, and not worry about dynamic range as long as it's not overly noisy or clipped.
 
Like Sven, I'll usually record the quiet and screaming bits separately, onto separate tracks. Odds are they're going to be treated differently in the mix anyway, with different compression, EQ and delay/reverb.
 
Also consider using a dynamic microphone instead of a condenser, and hold it in your hand. If you're a stage performer this will feel very natural and you'll be able to self-moderate signal levels as you sing. We tend to assume that a condenser is always best, but it ain't necessarily so.
 
I once read about a clever technique that was used, IIRC, on a David Bowie recording that required an enormous dynamic range. They used two microphones, one up close and another 3 feet away, recorded both simultaneously, and later used automation to crossfade between them.

You can use compression on the way in but I prefer to use it set for limiting. Very high threshold, fast attack etc. That way it won't do anything for most of the time but if any really loud bits happen it will just limit occasionally and stop the signal form hitting the red digitally.

The best way I think is to start with good mic technique.
 
When you're down soft and quiet, get in close to the mic..... whisper in it's ear ...
 
as the song moves to the louder parts, back away from the mic as far as is needed.
 
Have you ever watched someone like Reba Macintyre sing?  She often goes through a wide dynamic range in her songs..... mellow and quiet in the verses and man does she belt it out in the choruses.  She practically eats the mic on the verses and when she's belting it out, she has that mic back 12 or more inches for those power choruses she's famous for.
 
Yeah... start with technique.  Get that part right and you will have very little work to do later in the mixing and enveloping stages of the project. Done right, it should be reasonably difficult (not impossible) to determine, just by looking at the wave, where the loud vs quiet parts are located in the vocal track.

I compress a little on the way in (in the pre-amp)
 
But if you have an extremely dynamic performance?
 
I would comp it... And sing the heavy parts from a bit more of a distance, and with a lower level.
 
And then on the quiet/whisper parts, just track them differently, boost the pre? And then use envelopes and compression/limiting to smooth it all out in the end. I sing quite a bit, so I'm not shooting from the hip. Most either can't or don't sing? Those that do struggle with it, those that don't work with those that do. Mic technique cannot be overstated, but it's not everything. If your performance is as you describe then you need a combination of, 1. Mic technique and pre-amp settings to tame the violent bits, 2. Some compression on the way in, 3. tools In The Box (ITB) once the comped tracks are there. You should be able to get what you're looking for if you give careful attention to each part of the process. 

And you can track the LV to an LV bus, and limit it. Track the BV to a BV bus, use sends from each of those to vox verb and delay, send the output of all of those to a vox main, and then to the master, and treat it appropriately at each step along the way... Compression, limitting, delay, verb, saturation, EQ, excitation and gain staging all important? And at different places in the signal chain. That's how I do it? And people want me to do my shiz on their shiz ;-)

This is why recording is an art, not science.  As the above posts show, there are plenty of ways to skin a dynamic vocalist.  You need to find the way that works for you, so start experimenting early.
 
vocalist who work the mic as they do live by backing up and getting closer to the mic can cause all kinds of havoc w/ the tone.  Cardiod mics have proximity effect, which results in more bottom in the vocal signal.  Also, if the vocalist gets close, small head movements can also change the tone.  That may not make a difference to you - but might.  Either way, it is something to be aware of.
 
That is one reason a good room, a good mic and good preamp help.  You can crank the input on the preamp up then and capture some of the more delicate stuff w/o crapping out the signal when it gets loud (and not have the room ruin the signal, too).  During mixing automation and compression can help level the signal.
 
I usually run vocals through a nice channel strip and keep everything on, even if I'm not Eqing (except a HP filter) and only compressing a few dBs just to firm the signal up a little, even if it is parellel compressing.  I'll usually start at a lower gain, just because many (if not most) musicians tend to play/sing louder during an actual take than during set up.  I can then add gain incrementally during takes.  If we take the time, I can even ride the levels a bit during the final take(s).  I'm a big believer in performance, and seldom comp takes except in sections.  Comping word by word seems to be the rage these days and is de rigueur in pop-oriented stuff, but seems like a way to up billing time to me.  Doesn't mean I won't do it if technically necessary, but I find it often distracts from the flow, perfection instead of authenticity.
 
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I agree with everyone.  Personally, I move into and out of the mic.  I like to capture the total feel of the whole song and not break it into pieces.  I seem to get a little better emotion that way.  I am starting to use my cheapo tube mic preamp on the way in to soften the overall sound just a tad.  I am not using expensive gear though.